


Gifts

by ryfkah



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist, Princess Tutu
Genre: Crossover, Meta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-28
Updated: 2011-02-28
Packaged: 2017-10-16 00:11:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/166342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryfkah/pseuds/ryfkah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Would you like to buy a gem?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gifts

People always stare a little when Al walks into a new place. They try to be polite about it, but the plain truth is that vintage armor is bulky, heavy and uncomfortable, and nobody wears it while traveling.

When they walk into Kinkan Town, though, it’s Al who finds himself staring.

“Brother!” he whispers, leaning down so far his side-plating creaks. “That was a cat chimera! Just walking around!”

“I saw,” Ed hisses back. “There’s a crocodile chimera over there.”

“Brother, no one’s even looking at them! What _is_ this place?”

“I dunno. The rumors were all pretty vague. But,” says Ed, breaking into a sudden sharp grin that narrows his eyes, “If there’s chimera just walking around, and nobody cares, that’s a pretty good sign that someone’s been using a lot of power here, isn’t it? Maybe even –”

“Maybe,” says Al, but he shivers. He doesn’t know what good reason someone would have for making so many chimera, and it’s kind of giving him the creeps.

Or maybe that’s just the weirdly jaunty music that has suddenly sprung up out of nowhere. “Brother,” he says, but Ed’s attention has already been jerked away by a green-haired woman who’s standing in front of them.

(Which Al could have sworn she wasn’t, a few seconds ago – but then again, he was distracted.)

“Would you like to buy a gem? Pretty gems,” says the woman, “to give as a gift.” If Ed’s patent irritation fazes the woman, she doesn’t show it; her smile remains fixed and serene. “A present for the one you love.”

“Not unless you’ve got a philosopher’s stone in there,” mutters Ed, and prepares to shove on by, but Al touches him on the arm.

“Brother . . . maybe, if she’s got something nice to give to Winry in case you break your arm again . . .”

Ed freezes, then sighs and stomps back around, huffing air through his nostrils. “Okay,” he demands of the gem-seller, “what’ve you got?”

A slender, almost too-long finger extends and presses a button; the lid of the music box pops open, revealing a veritable bird’s nest of jewelry. There might really be a philosopher’s stone in there, and you’d never know it, thinks Al, trying to bend his head over to see the wares without blocking off all the light.

“This is the gem called resolve,” remarks the seller, holding up a square, stolid golden gem; Ed ignores it, and she carefully replaces it in the pile, pulling out another one, blushing pink. “And this is the gem called tormenting the fanbase.”

“What?” says Al.

“- Hey,” says Ed, tugging at the edge of a chain. “What’s this one?”

It’s like Ed, to go straight for the one that’s hardest to reach. The gem-seller’s fingers dive swiftly into the tangle; in a few seconds, she’s somehow managed to separate out the necklace in question and holds it up now for them to see. “This is the gem,” she says, “called character growth.” Her voice is as serene as ever, but her fingers curl a little around the chain.

Ed looks at it for a long time. Then he shakes his head, and lifts his hand, half-turning away. “Nah,” he says. “I’m pretty sure Winry’s got one like it already. Keep your gems, lady, it’s okay.” He walks on ahead, and Al follows hastily after.

He’s pretty sure it’s just his imagination that he hears a crackling old voice behind him, heckling: _why didn’t you just give them that old thing?_ We _don’t have any use for that one!_ Almost entirely sure. But he’s distracted from listening, anyway, as Ed in front of him announces, “Al, this is a _weird_ town.”

Al can’t do anything but agree.


End file.
